The aims of this study are to determine whether a decrease in circulating neutrophil count early in the postpartum period is an early indicator of severity of RDS in preterm neonates, whether TNF and IL-8 concentrations in plasma and tracheal fluid correlate with changes in circulating neutrophil count and in severity of RDS, and whether L-selectin shedding by circulating neutrophils correlates with severity of neonatal RDS.